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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

G. A. BARTH.

, DIRECT ACTING ENGINE. No. 384,186. Patented June 5,1888

N FETERS. Phmoumognphu, Washington. D. C.

(NoModeL) 2 SheetsSheet 2;

G. A. BARTH.

' DIRECT ACTING ENGINE.

I No. 384,186.

Patented June 7 5 '1888.

fmim oza fi UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GUSTAV A. EARTH, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO PIERRE CHOUTEAU, OFSAME PLACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 384,186, dated June 5,1888.

(No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GUSTAV A. EARTH, a citizen of the United States,residing at the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Direct- Acting Steam or PneumaticEngines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in that class of direct-actingsteam, pneumatic, or other motive-fluid engines in which the piston isreciprocated in the cylinder by the action of its valve without theintervention of valveoperating mechanism, and has for its object torender such engines more positive and sensitive in action under high andlow pressures when used for chipping, calkin g, riveting, pumping, andother purposes.

My invention consists in the combination of a cylinder bored outconcentrically to two different diameters for different portions of itslength, a tubular pistonrod provided with an improved arrangement ofinlet and discharge passages, a distribution-valve adapted toreciprocate within said piston-rod, a hammerhead fitting in and rcmovably secured to said piston-rod, and a rcgulating-valve for controlling thesupply of the steam or air to the piston, and operated by a lever andspring in cono junction with thehandleby which themachine gine adaptedfor use as a chipping-machine, the piston being shown at the upper andlower terminations, respectively, of its stroke; and Figs. 3 and 4,transverse sections on lines 1 1 and 2 2, respectively, in Fig. 1, likeletters of reference denoting like parts in all the fi gu res.

a represents the cylinder,which is bored out concentrically to twodifferent diameters ex tending, respectively, in opposite directionsfrom a plane at or near the middle of its length and corresponding withthe diameters of its piston b and of a tubular piston-rod, c, which isformed in one piece with or secured to the piston b. The piston 72 andpiston-rod e are bored out centrally to provide a cylindrical chamber orcavity, d, which extends downward from its upper open end, where it isflush with the upper side of the piston b,to a suitable depth within thepiston-rod c, in the lower end of which is inserted the hammer-stock e,carrying a hammer,f, upon its outer end. upper open end of the chamber(1 is fitted and fixed a cylindrical tube or sleeve, '9, which is flushat its top with the upper side of the pisten 1) and extends a certaindistance downward within the chamber (1. Into the lower portion of thistube or' sleeve 9 projects the upper diametrically-reduced end portionof a cylindrical distributioi'i-valve, h, which, to the extent of thatportion of its length below the shoulder of its reduced end, is fittedto and capable of vertical reciprocation within the chamber at, and isformed with a vertical central supply-passage, 13, extending from itsupper open end within the tube or sleeveg to a suitable depth therefrom,an inlet-passage, 1, being formed near the lower end of the supply-passage 2', through the wall of the distribution-valve handcommunicating with an annu lar space, It, formed by a circumferentialrecess on the valve h in conjunction with the interior surface of thechamber d.

H are inlet-passages leading to the chamber '(Z through the wall of thelatter from the outside of the tubular piston-rod c and communieatingwith each other by an open groove, Z, formed in the outer surface of thepiston-rod c. m is an inlet and outlet passage located on the outside ofthe piston-rod 0, below the inletpassage Z, and extending through thewall of the piston-rod c and through the bottom of the chamber d, withwhich it communicates beneath the distribution-valve h; and n is anexhaust-passage extending from the interior of the tube or sleeve 9through the wall of the latter and downward through a portion of thepiston b, and through the wall of the pistonrod 0 to the space betweenthe lower end of the latter and the corresponding end of thecylinder (1,from which space exhaustpassages nn extend through the lower end of thecylinder a and open into the external atmosphere.

Steam or other motive fluid is admitted to the machine through aflexible hose or other pipe attached to the nozzle 0, which communicateswith a passage, 19, opening into the cylinder a beneath the piston b,the flow of steam being regulated, according to the quantity re- In thei i v quired, by a plug (or other) regulating-valve, q, which is fittedand works in a casing, q, formed diametrically through the base orflange 1' of the handles, by which the machine is manipulated when beingused as a chipper, the flange 1" being secured by screws or otherwise tothe head of the cylinder a and constituting the cover thereof. On oneendof the plug or spindle of the valve 9 is fixed aspecially-shapedlever, 15, between which and the handle 8 is a spring, a, attached atone end to the handle 8 and at its other end to the lever if, so thatwhen holding the handle 3 the lever t, being moved by one of the fingersin one direction against the spring a, will partially rotate or move thevalve q, so as to open and admit steam or air to the passage 1), and onreleasing the finger the reaction of the spring a will return the levert and rotate the valve q to a corresponding extent in the oppositedirection, thereby closing the valve q.

Through a central square hole in the lower end of the cylinder a isinserted the shank oof a chisel, w, the upper end of the shank 0proj'ecting somewhatinto the cylinder a and its shoulder bearing againstthe outer end thereof.

In operation, the parts being in the position seen in Fig. 1, theoperator holds the machine in the desired position for the work by onehand around the lower endportion of the cylindera and the other on thehandle 8, using one finger to control the lever t, which moves theregulating-valve q for admitting more or less steam or air to andshutting it off from the passage 19 and cylinder a as required. Themotive fluid entering the cylinder a between it and the piston-rodc,aslindieated by the arrows, circulates beneath the piston b and aroundthe piston-rod 0, so as to pass through the inlet-passage Z and around'the annular space is into and through the inlet-passagej and centralsupply-passage, Z, of the distribution-valve h, through the tube orsleeve 9 to above the piston I), which, with the pistonrod 0 and hammerf, is thereby forced down ward in the cylinder a until the hammer fstrikes the shank o of the chisel w, as seen in Fig. 2. In the meanwhilethe outlet-passage m, on passing the lower end of the small portion ofthe cylinder a corresponding with the diameter of the piston-rod c, andthe inlet-passages Z Z Z entering the same, part of the cylinder a, andbeing thereby closed to the ingress of steam from the passage 1), thesteam which was below and supported the distributionvalve h in itsraised position is exhausted through the passage on and allows thedistribution-valve h to drop to. .the bottom of the chamber (1, so as toclose the inlet-passages Z Z Z, and thereby prevent the subsequententrance of live steam from the passage p to the central supply-passage,Z, during the upward stroke of the piston b.

Simultaneously by the dropping of the distribution-valve h'its upperreduced end portion uncovers the exhaust-passage a, through which andthrough the exhaust-passages a a the steam from above the piston Z2 isexhausted into the atmosphere, and the steam from the passage 9,occupying the space beneath the piston 12 between the cylinder at andpistonrod 0, presses upon the lower annular surface of the piston b, andthereby raises the latter, with the rod 0 and hammer f, until theinletpassage m rises j ust above the upper end of the said small portionof the cylinder at, when the steam from the passage 1) enters thepassage m and chamber (Z and lifts the distribution-valve h to itsoriginal position, or with the shoulder of its reduced end bearingagainst the lower end of the tube or sleeve 9, as seen in Fig. 1, so asto again open communication between the inlet-passagesj, k, and Z, foradmitting the steam or air to above the piston b, and between thepassages Z and Z admitting steam beneath the distribution-valve h, forsupporting the lat ter in the raised position during the downward strokeof the piston b.

To prevent accidental rising of the (llstribution-valve h in the chamber(1 during the upward stroke of the piston b, a slight downward or backpressure is imparted to the valve h by a small inlet-passage, x, whichis located at or near to the under side of the piston 71 and opens fromthe outside, and through the wall of the piston-rod a into the chamber(Z above the valve h, between the shoulder of its reduced end and thelower edge of the tube or. sleeve, g, when the valve h is in its lowestposition.

I claim- 1. The combination of a cylinder, a piston fitting therein, atubular piston-rod formed on or secured to said piston and provided withseparate inlet and exhaust passage, a distribution-valve fitting withina chamber or cavity in said piston-rod and having a central supply-passage extending from its open end to a lateral port and annularpassage adjacent to its opposite closed end, the port and passages beingso arranged as to communicate alternately with the said inlet andexhaust passage of the piston-rod, an inlet-passagein the pistonrodcommunicating with that portion of the chamber therein beneath thedistribution-valve and communicating by a connecting inlet passage withthe inlet-passage through the pistonrod to the port and centralsupply-passage of the distribution-valve, and a combined inlet andexhaust passage in the piston-rod leading to and from the bottom of thechamber therein beneath the distribution-valve, the whole operated tohold and reverse the distributionvalve at the proper times, and so togovern the supply and exhaust of motive fluid to and from the piston anddistribution-valve, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of a cylinder, a piston fitting therein, a tubularpiston-rod formed on or secured to said piston and provided with aseparate inlet and exhaust passage, a distribution-valve fitting withina chamber or cavity in said piston-rod and having a centralsupply-passage extending from its open end to a lateral port and annularpassage adjacent to its opposite'closed end, the port and passages beingso arranged as to communicate alternately with the said inlet andexhaust passage of the pistonrod, an inlet-passage in the pistonrodcommunicating with that partof the chamber therein beneath thedistribution-valve and communicating by a connecting inlet-passage withthe inlet-passage through the piston-rod'to the port and centralsupplypassage of the distribution-Valve, a combined inlet and exhaustpassage in the piston-rod leading to and from the bottom of the chambertherein beneath the distribution-valve, and an inlet-passage in thepiston-rod communicating with the chamber therein above the uppershoulder of the distribution-valve when in itslowest position within thesaid chamber, the whole operating to positively hold and reverse thedistribution-valve at the proper times, and so to govern the supply andexhaust of motive fluid to and from the piston and distribution-valve,substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with a cylinder, a piston and rod working therein, adistributionvalve, and a regulating or controlling valve working in acasing formed diametrically through the base of the handle of themachine for governing the supply of motive fluid to thedistribution-valve, of a specially-shaped lever, t, connected with theregulating or controlling valve and coupled by a spring with the handleused for directing and holding the machine to its work, substantially asand for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses,this 12th day of December, 1887.

GUSTAV A. EARTH.

Witnesses:

S. L. SOHRADER, PAUL BAKEWELL.

